Reconnecting with my classmate Dinna

She was my classmate in grade school and high school in St. Paul. She went to the University of the Philippines and studied Interior Design and was class valedictorian. In 1987, she was No. 3 in the board exam for Interior Designers. She is Dinna Bautista delos Reyes, interior designer, painter, miniaturist, wife to Ronald and mother to Paulene and Nina.

Bulaklak para kay Gabrielle in watercolo

I only came to know about her work when she sent me a photo that showed she was with my mom in the Art Gallery at the Manila Hotel, where she was an exhibitor. I immediately asked Dinna if I could meet her for an interview. Days later, Leslie dela Cruz Ramillano (another classmate) called to arrange the lunch with Dinna. Leslie scheduled it so that Marijo Aquino (yet another classmate!) could join us for a mini-reunion. Marijo has been residing in San Francisco for the past 30 years, and this was her first visit to Manila in three decades. I immediately agreed because it’s always nice to catch up with grade school and high school classmates. There are no pretenses with those who’ve known you that long, and I looked forward to all the reminiscing, storytelling, hearty laughing and endless teasing.

Another sample of her Philippine heritage furniture bedroom

At our reunion luncheon, I deliberately sat across Dinna and asked her what a miniaturist is. She explained that she makes miniature furniture using eska board that conforms to the world standard using the 1:12 ratio. Apparently, this is a very popular hobby. She is the only one in the Philippines who creates Philippine Heritage furniture on this scale and was the grand prize winner at the last Maker Fair Manila. I was amazed at how detailed and intricate her pieces are.

Dinna with her miniature bedroom set

She showed me a picture of a four-poster bed that she copied and the carvings were exactly the same, except they were in miniature! She says that it usually takes her an afternoon to do a room since everything is already laser-cut. She also revealed that she has clients who order her pieces for use in doll houses or as giveaways. She even had a client who ordered 25 sets of a miniature bedroom that was a replica of her grandparents’ bedroom. Said client gave it as a Christmas gift to her relatives.

Waling Waling ni Isabella in watercolor

Aside from being a miniaturist, Dinna also paints using water color, dry point and acrylic. She loves to paint mother-and-child subjects or women in balintawak (the plaid skirt with a top that has puffy butterfly sleeves) wearing the alfombra (embroidered slippers) and orchids. Her acrylic paintings, on the other hand, are often commissioned and used as murals in lobbies. She’s a member of the International Watercolor Society of the Philippines and will represent the Philippines in May in Urbino, Italy, the birthplace of Rafaello (the famous Italian Renaissance painter). Contestants were instructed to adapt Rafaello’s painting style to the artist’s local culture. Dinna’s entry is titled La Fornarina in Filipiniana.

Mother and child

All of us at the reunion luncheon are praying that Dinna bags the grand prize. We’re also excited about her plans to make an entire 1:12 Philippine heritage house (bahay na bato, perhaps?), complete with miniature heritage furniture. It will be her way of preserving our culture and passing to the next generations the history of our architecture and furniture.

La Fornarina in Filipiniana, her entry to the International Festival in Urbino, Italy in May

(Follow Dinna on IG or FB @reallytinyelephants for inquiries.)